Chapter 770: Infection Mutation
The quarantine tent was located behind the medical station. It was constructed of double-layered plastic sheeting and a metal frame, with military police standing guard at the entrance.
Dr. Hanson donned a simple hazmat suit and entered, accompanied by the medical officer.
Valerie, Raynor, and the others waited outside.
A few minutes later, Dr. Hanson suddenly burst out, her face pale white, not even having time to fully remove her hazmat suit.
"Lock down this area immediately!" Her voice carried a rare tremble. "Notify the Command Center, a biological infection event may have broken out in Refugee Camp 3! The infected are highly aggressive and contagious!"
"Doctor, what exactly is going on?" Raynor stepped forward to ask.
An inhuman roar erupted from inside the tent, followed by the sound of tearing and the startled shouts of the military police.
A "person" wearing tattered refugee clothing smashed through the tent's plastic sheeting and charged out.
His skin had taken on an abnormal gray-green hue, his eyes were clouded and white, dark green saliva drooled from the corners of his mouth, and the fingers on both hands were twisted into claw-like shapes.
The military police opened fire immediately.
Gauss rifle rounds struck the infected's chest, blasting open clouds of dark green ichor, but the infected merely stumbled before continuing its charge.
Its speed was unexpectedly fast.
Tychus cursed and raised his chain gun.
A barrage of heavy-caliber bullets nearly shredded the infected's upper body before it finally fell to the ground, its limbs still twitching.
Dr. Hanson said urgently, "That is no ordinary disease! It's some kind of... biological alteration or parasitism! Its physiological structure has been altered, its pain receptors are dulled, and its vitality is extreme! Furthermore, its blood and bodily fluids likely contain the infectious agent!"
She pointed toward the setting sun. "It hid during the day, likely because ultraviolet light harms it! We must begin a comprehensive screening immediately and quarantine all suspected cases before it gets completely dark!"
But it was too late.
Screams and roars erupted almost simultaneously from all across the refugee camp.
In the shadows of the tents cast by the twilight, twisted figures stood up one after another.
Chaos exploded in an instant.
Refugee Camp 3 was like a pond hit by stones; the riot rippled outward from multiple points simultaneously.
Screams, roars, gunfire, and the sound of tearing tents mixed together, creating a hellish scene in the darkening sky.
"Everyone fall back to the medical station! Establish a defensive line!" Raynor roared, his Punisher grenade launcher already aimed at an infected charging from the flank.
Grenades blossomed among the infected pack; shrapnel and shockwaves threw several to the ground, but more rushed out from the smoke.
Tychus's power armor spewed tongues of fire, his heavy machine gun mowing down a swath.
But there were too many infected, and they ignored casualties, simply lunging madly at any moving target.
"The medical station building is relatively sturdy! Fall back inside!" Raynor commanded the Raiders and military police to contract their lines toward the medical station while firing.
Valerie calmly observed the situation.
Her five security consultants had already automatically formed a protective circle, guarding her in the center.
They didn't rush to open fire, but instead used precise burst fire to eliminate the closest threats, while simultaneously evaluating the enemy's characteristics and behavioral patterns.
"Attention, target movement speed exceeds that of normal humans, pain receptors dulled, vitals may differ from normal." Valerie spoke to her team over an encrypted channel. "Prioritize targeting the head and spinal joints. Maintain formation, move slowly toward the medical station."
Dr. Hanson, escorted by two Raiders, was pale but clear-headed: "Their blood and bodily fluids are contagious! Do not let any fluids splash onto exposed skin! If possible, use incendiary or high-temperature weapons!"
But at this moment, they only had solid projectile weapons.
The group fought a fighting retreat and finally made it inside the main building of the medical station.
The Raiders and military police quickly blocked the doors and windows with furniture and medical equipment, leaving only firing slits.
Tychus's massive power armor guarded the main entrance, like a mobile turret.
"Get a head count! Check ammo!" Raynor leaned against the window, swapping out the drum magazine on his grenade launcher.
Besides them, there were over a dozen local medical personnel and lightly wounded individuals inside the medical station, currently cowering in the corners in terror.
"We have thirteen men, plus the Doctor's and Miss Valerie's people, making a total of twenty-two combatants. The military police have another eight. Ammo... at this rate of consumption, we won't last two hours," a Raider sergeant reported rapidly after a quick count.
Outside the window, the roars of the infected were drawing closer.
Twilight had turned into night, and the camp's power system seemed to be failing, the lights flickering on and off.
The beams of the searchlights swept across, illuminating a dense sea of twisted figures surging toward the medical station.
"We have to contact the Command Center!" Dr. Hanson yelled to the local medical officer. "Have them send troops for support and lock down the entire refugee camp! The infection might have already spread!"
The medical officer trembled as he attempted to establish comms, but shook his head: "Signal interference is severe... the infected might be destroying the comms facilities or signal towers."
"Use the Hyperion's encrypted channel," Valerie suddenly spoke up, the data-slate on her wrist lighting up. "My device can bounce through an orbital relay."
Everyone's gaze turned to her. Valerie calmly operated her data-slate, and a few seconds later, a stable communication channel was established.
"This is the Hyperion, Matt Horner. Read you, over." Matt's voice came from the data-slate; he was on the bridge.
"Matt, this is Raynor. A massive biological infection event has broken out in Refugee Camp 3. The infected are highly aggressive and contagious, and their numbers are extreme. We need emergency support and extraction. Also, notify the Meinhoff Command Center to lock down all refugee camps immediately to prevent the infection from spreading!"
"Copy that! The Hyperion is prepping a Marine drop immediately! I will contact local command. Hold on, Jim!"
The transmission was temporarily cut. Outside the window, the first wave of infected had already surged up to the outer walls of the medical station and began throwing their bodies against the doors and windows. The wooden window frames groaned under the strain.
"They're climbing up!" a Raider guarding a second-floor window yelled.
Valerie looked at Raynor. "Commander Raynor, the medical station's structure is insufficient to hold out long-term. We need a sturdier strongpoint, or we need to try and break out toward the spaceport."
Raynor stared at the tide-like mass of infected outside and thought quickly: "Breaking out is too risky; we can't see how many infected there are in the dark."
"But holding out here isn't a solution either... Matt said he's dropping Marines; they need a landing zone and a reception force."
He looked at the medical station's internal structural blueprints. "The roof! The medical station's roof is relatively flat, and the elevation provides a tactical advantage. We can establish a temporary defensive position there and provide a landing zone for the dropships. We fall back to the roof!"
The orders were issued rapidly. Tychus and a few Raiders used explosives to blow open the maintenance access to the roof.
The group began an orderly withdrawal upwards. Valerie's security team handled the rearguard; their precise marksmanship bought precious time for the retreat.